Involve
by Aurora Reflections
Summary: A group of youkai ask Natsume for help in retrieving a gem. Things take turn for the worse when exorcists became involved. Can Natsume get out before too many people get dragged in? Bad summary is bad. Follow up for Pace, Natsume's side of the story.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I didn't plan to write this but one reviewer suggested I make a sequel to my first fanfic, Pace. A plot bunny grew and ended up as this. While not a direct sequel, it is correlated as it is about Natsume's side of the story (rather long story) though it is not first person. As such, expect some added changes for the characters involved, plot, etc. For those who haven't read Pace yet, you don't really need to read it for these early chapters but I will give a heads up when you do. There will two OC youkai but hopefully, that does not deter anyone.

I was almost not going to post this because this chapter, along with some future chapters, somehow got deleted on my phone (I swear I did not hit the delete button). I was quite discouraged until I saw a couple of users who followed my previous fanfic despite it being a one-shot and there being no claims from me writing this follow-up when I posted it. So special thanks for those who favourited, reviewed and/or followed my previous story (because you're the reason why I managed to rewrite this): Alex Penedo, Ko-pia, Anon, Krylancelo, The Uncute Kouhai Illusionist, Kage-Hikarai, Tenshi-Oujosama and Blue Element.

This fanfic is for all you readers and I hope you guys will enjoy it. K+ for the light swearing. This story takes places in the manga's continuity (as it contain spoilers from manga verison of the Eastern Forest Arc).

Disclaimer: I do not own Natsume Yuujinchou.

* * *

Natsume bit the end of his pencil. He was unusually home on a weekday morning. That's because his school had given a week off for his grade to visit their parents' workplace. He had already gone with Shigure yesterday, now writing a seven page report about it. Probably why they were given the holidays.

While Shigure had already left for work, Touko was staying at her friend's place for the week. It took much convincing from both Natsume and Shigure before she accepted the offer to some relaxation. Still, she made a list of what needed to be done and almost pre-made a week's work of food until Shigure and Natsume had to make her leave early.

"_And don't anything dangerous, ok?", Touko warned Natsume before looking at Shigure, who was guiding her out of the house, "You too, Shigure-san"_

A soft smile crept on Natsume's lips from fondly remembering Touko's ever-worrying concern. With Nyanko-Sensei sleeping off to the side and a half-finished bowl nearby of what the cat referred to as an "attempt at food", it was awfully quiet. It had been a long time since Natsume felt this type of silence. It was nice…peaceful…

Until a large banging noise had interrupted him from his thoughts. Startled, Natsume looked outside to see three youkai on the other side of the window: two of them were the middle-class youkai but the other was a nameless and looked rather stoic.

Natsume was about to send them away but seeing their expressions had stopped him.

"Please open up. It's urgent." the ogre mouthed while the ox just bobbed his head once.

Nodding in understanding, Natsume got up and opened the window, stirring the cat out of its slumber. His ears twitched before peeking out with one of its eyes. He saw the two familiar youkai and the other new one entering in. "He better not be giving another name away" the cat muttered to himself before getting up and approaching the group, catching a bit of their conversation.

"Fukkatsu Springs?" Natsume had asked.

"Yes, it's a place where-"

"I've never seen you before" Nyanko-sensei suddenly interrupted.

The addressed youkai looked away un-cooperatively before saying "I don't need to give my name to a human and his lowly pet"

"Chimeu!"

"Lowly pet?! I'm neither lowly **nor** a pet! Just who do you think you are-" Natsume grabbed the cat before he could pounce and claw the youkai out.

"Sorry about him", Natsume apologized while struggling to settle down the cat, "Go on"

The ogre nodded before explaining "The Fukkatsu Springs is a place where youkai can rest and heal themselves. It purifies the water by its special gem which the water runs through before it flows into the basin"

"Unfortunately, an exorcist has intervened and stolen a part of the gem" the ox continued, while the third youkai twitched slightly.

"Please, Natsume-sama. We need your help", both middle-class youkai pleaded and bowed, "Several youkai have been severely hurt from the attack and now are unable to heal themselves"

"Why should we help you?", Nyanko-sensei piped up before he slipped out of Natsume's arms and approached the three, "Too often does this kid get too involved in too many things that I have to pointlessly babysit him for. Besides, he has school work to do and-"

"Since the water does not flow anymore, the sake-well is also dried up" the ox added.

"What?!", the cat questioned, "That's it, we're heading there right now!"

"Wait, Sensei-" Natsume called but the cat had already transformed, using its tail to sweep the boy and place him on his back.

"You and your stupid sake" Nastume grumbled before the beast zoomed out of the window.

* * *

A/N: Yes, this will be a multi-chapter fanfic. I will try to upload the next chapter next week, two weeks tops. I'm sorry that the chapter was short. As much as I hate reading and writing them, short chapters are the only way for me to write a story without so many obvious grammar mistakes everywhere. Still, I will try to have at least 500 words or one page/per chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed this so far and please leave feedback or your thoughts in the reviews (I want to write better for you guys). I promise shorter authour's notes.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

A/N: Thank you for all the responses and tips from the previous chapter. I apologize in advance for any future grammar errors that may catch your eyes (though don't be afraid to PM me about it).

Since this varies in fanfiction, I just want to establish a few things to avoid confusion in the future:

"—" means someone was in a mid-sentence/thought but got interrupted.

_Anything in italics is a thought. I will usually write down "X thought" beside it but sometimes it gets too repetitive so I might have stand-alone sentences that are written like this. If there are quotation marks around it, it is most likely from a flashback/memory. Any other cases, I'll let you know._

". . ."_- i_s going to be a longer-than-a-comma pause. Yes, I know it's supposed to be the dash's job (which I'm now using for interruptions) but it feels it makes more sense that the dash is used during an interruption. That and the dash looks too similar to the hyphen and I don't want too much confusion from that. This will be used while thinking and/or talking.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Natsume Yuujinchou other than OCs Chimeu and Saisei (both who will be properly introduced in this chapter).

* * *

Natsume continued to soar through the sky, high above the ever-blurring forest on the flying beast. While both middle-class youkai had managed to grab onto his tail and climb up before they left, the third one raced rapidly on the ground.

"Sorry about Chimeu" the ox apologized while sitting next to Natsume. His partner was guiding Madara to the location.

"It's fine", Natsume assured him although he still felt uneasy. He was definitely not used to both the ox's and ogre's rather serious behavior instead of their usual cheery attitudes. To distract himself, Natsume asked while pointedly looked downwards "Who is he?"

Following the boy's gaze, the ox replied "He is Chimeu, the bodyguard for the guardian of Fukkatsu Springs. While he is a young youkai, he has been protecting him for about 40 years. He probably won't admit it but he deeply admires and respects the spring's deity". The ox then began to frown, "Ever since the exorcist stole the jewel, he's been rather angry and short-tempered"

Natsume nodded in understanding before looking down below. The youkai would have looked very much like a human if it weren't for its smoky grey complexion. He wore a white clothe-like mask that only revealed one eye and the basic outline of his nose and mouth, his grey skin visible from the ends of his combat-like outfit. His dark blue hair spiked out on the other end of his mask, making him look like scurrying porcupine. The youkai managed to run very swiftly despite carrying a massive sword. While its appearance was intimidating, its hilt was decorated with various bells. The youkai started to slow down as they reached a clearing in the forest.

"We're here" Madara alerted the group. Natsume nodded as he felt himself being lowered.

There was a large but not-working fountain in the middle of a yellowing-grass field. Some water had pooled in the basin.

As Natsume got a closer look, he discovered the foundation was also a statue. The marble statue vaguely resembled the bald head and neck of a girl. There was a hole on the top of the head and a thin but deep, circular indentation that was carved around the neck. The fountain was rather beautiful, the craftsmanship a sight to behold. However, it contrasted with the scene around him. The place was surrounded with resting, ill-looking youkai: young, old, human-like, animal-like, beasts and several different types of youkai that Natsume wasn't even aware existed.

There was one in particular that stood out amongst the others. Resting near an oak tree, it wore a pale blue mask with a painted black smile and two bottomless eye-holes. It wore a simple but very elegant dark cloak and it had no arms and legs. It looked rather old, weak and tired.

"Saisei-sama" the three youkai called before rushing to that youkai's side and bowing. He saw one of them whispering to him, which Natsume presumed to be the guardian. The creature looked up towards Madara and Natsume before nodding. He gracefully floated, much like a ghost, towards the two despite his much weakened state.

"Thank you for coming here, human. My apologies for calling you out like this", the youkai spoke with a deep and hollow voice, "I am Saisei, the deity of Fukkatsu Springs. I see you have already meet Chimeu"

Said youkai huffed, causing Madara to return with a glare.

"As you see, one half of the gem is stolen as part of a necklace", Saisei explained as his cloak fluttered around the crevice. Sure enough, there was circular, shallow hole beneath the indentation that was partly covered by half of a red gem. "While it still has enough spiritual power to keep the remaining water in, it can no longer purify it"

"Then why don't you give up some of your own blood to make a new one? That is what the gem is made out of, isn't it?" Madara boldly questioned.

"Sensei!"

"How dare you-" Chimeu started but Saisei intervened.

"If I could, I would have not bothered to call the two of you in the first place, however", Saisei explained before he looked regretfully at himself, "The exorcist that attacked us has placed a curse on me during the fight. My blood is now tainted and spoiled. It is not fit for a replacement gem but the water from the fountain can heal me from the curse. That is why it is so important that we find the original"

Natsume nodded before his eyes focused on the fountain once more. "Who's that a statue of?"

"Ah yes", Saisei reminisced as if lost in happy memories, "Although I had created the gem, it was through the work of a human who made it function. I had asked the workers to carve the fountain of our hero instead of me in honor of her act of kindness"

_Human? Who could that—_

"Helping the youkai again, are you Natsume Takeshi"

* * *

A/N: This wasn't my favourite chapter to write, probably because I had to write scene descriptions (even if it was short). Thanks for reading. Though I am updating this week, I don't think I can update next week because I will be pretty busy with stuff from school. Hopefully, this chapter was sort of interesting enough makes up for it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'm back though I am pretty reluctant on posting this chapter. Literally, I was going back and forth on this because I was debating if I should add a explanation on a certain thing here or in should I integrate in later chapters (or if it is really needed AT ALL). I couldn't go back on my two-week promise so posted the chapter without it though I might end up regretting it later.

* * *

"Helping the youkai again, are you Natsume Takeshi"

Upon hearing that eerily, familiar voice from behind, Natsume turned around and instinctively stepped back. There stood Matoba, with a confident smirk and in his black robes, along with several shiki holding large fans.

"Matoba-san" was all Natsume managed to say in his state of shock.

"Wouldn't you know it?", the man continued on as he gazed towards the statue, "Must've been fate that brought you back here"

"Wretched exorcist", Chimeu snarled as he reached for his sword, "What could you have possibly returned here for?"

"You know exactly what", Matoba retorted before sternly ordering, "Hand over the gem"

"Matoba-san", Natsume interrupted before a fight could break out, "Please return the necklace. They've done nothing to harm you"

"Why?", the exorcist asked before sadistically adding, "It's easier to kill them en mass this way"

"Why you-" But before Chimeu could make a move, something pierced him and sent the youkai flying back.

"Chimeu-san!" Natsume called out but before he could turn to run, shadows shot out of the ground and grabbed a hold on both of his ankles. Madara raced towards the boy but a sudden, strong force had stopped him.

A powerful gust brewed in the area, sending back many of the youkai. Madara flew up while Saisei shielded the smaller youkai with his cloak. Natsume had to bend down, arms protectively in front of him, to prevent himself from falling over. At the corner of his eye, Natsume saw something wisp through but as he got up to chase after it, his centre of gravity shifted. His upper-body support weakened and with the strong winds still against him, his anchored ankles brought his whole body down.

Just as quickly as it came, the gust stopped, leaving a dust storm as a temporary reminder of its existence. Natsume got up though almost immediately fell down from the low-blood circulation. While the shadows no longer held his ankles down, he felt the ache throb from the tight grip that had once held him. He looked around: the youkai were more scattered out, many looking much worse off than before. Saisei seemed more worn out though the younger youkai he protected appeared to be fine though terribly frightened. Madara flew down towards Natsume's side.

"Damn it! He escaped!" Madara cursed.

"He stole it!" Chimeu shouted out while standing in front of the statue.

Natsume, Madara and Saisei rushed towards the fountain. Sure enough, the other piece was gone. The water from the basin had disappeared as well.

"That's it! I'm going after that exorcist and getting it back" Chimeu angrily announced.

"No, he's too dangerous", Saisei warned before blocking his path, "You know you can't take him on, especially since you're injured. He'll kill you at the chance"

"But we can't allow the youkai here to die and him to just get away with the gem and-"

"I'll retrieve it"

They all looked towards Natsume.

"Are you sure about this?" Madara asked with dead seriousness in his tone, the involvement of Matoba being the main factor.

The boy looked back at the injured youkai. Tired…weak…in pain...A couple of the younger ones were crying and some were shivering from the trauma. _And all so they can die an early death..._

"I'm positive" Natsume affirmed.

* * *

A/N: I came back like I said I would (with hopefully a satisfying chapter).

I know I just came back but I'm not sure how regular I can keep with updates, ranging between a week to a month. I'm actually EXTREMELY busy next month with assignments and tests and meetings and BLAH (not to mention I caught a pretty bad flu over the past week so I have a lot to catch up with). I will do my best to get whatever I can get done on the fanfic. I am really so sorry, guys. I really hope you understand. You don't know how bad I feel doing this to you guys. I'll make sure I make it up for ya!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Yes, I updated :D I'm realized I'm almost at my one month time limit. I'm really sorry I suddenly left you guys like this. I had to make some really important decisions about my future plus my school won't cut us a break from work. Still, I really appreciate the support I get from you guys. I am still am quite busy but I won't take one month for the next few chapters, I promise. Speaking of chapters, did you know that when I first wrote chapter one of this fanfic, I had planned to end it by the fourth chapter? Funny how things work since it is going to a bit longer than that XD**

**And without a further ado, enjoy the chapter :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Natsume Yuujinchou other than the OCs.  
**

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want us to come?" Saisei asked worriedly, starting to slowly approach the two of them.

"No, you guys are both hurt and need to rest up" Natsume replied as he motioned the guardian to stop.

"Besides, we don't need any dead loads dragging us down" Sensei added in.

"Sensei!"

"What did you say?" Chimeu questioned angrily but the cat simply stuck its tongue out.

Chimeu then approached Natsume and put something in the palm of his hand. Natsume looked down to see it.

"A bell?" Natsume asked in confusion.

"You might not need it now but keep it with you just in case. Ring it if you're in trouble" Chimeu ordered before returning back to his master's side.

"Thank you" Natsume said, stuffing it deep into his pocket so he would not lose it.

"The last place we saw Matoba head was somewhere west. Ask the local youkai there. If any of them give you trouble, just mention my name" Saisei informed the two.

"Thank you, both of you", Natsume replied gratefully. Nyanko-sensei jumped onto his shoulders and they turned to head out.

"Be careful" Natsume heard Chimeu distantly yell. Natsume waved back as he continued to walk through the forest with his bodyguard.

Just as Saisei suggested, they began asking around local youkai if they had seen traces of the exorcist anywhere. The responses were mostly unfavourable, many shuddering or fleeing in fear at the mention of the name. However, Saisei's name had been pretty helpful though when dealing with the more hostile youkai.

"Based on the few helpful responses we got, this place might be where that one-eyed punk is hiding" Sensei spoke as Natsume and him stared at the building ahead of them.

"I didn't even know such a building existed around here", Natsume commented, "Do you think it's another of Matoba's houses?"

"Strangely, it might be not", Nyanko-sensei answered in disbelief as he jumped off of Natsume's shoulder, "While there is some strong spiritual energy, it's not the negative kind"

"What do think we should do, Sensei? This place doesn't seem harmless but this could be trap Matoba set up and-"

"Natsume-kun?", a familiar female's voice called as Taki stepped out of the nearby bushes with colored-stained clothes, "What are you doing here-Kitty!". Taki pounced on the unamused fur-ball and tightly hugged the creature in her arms.

"Taki", a startled Natsume spoke before asking, "What are you doing here?"

"I usually come here to pluck berries", she said before pointedly gesturing at the nearby bushes that she had just walked out of, "This area has the best tasting ones though lately, they have been becoming sour"

_Does the springs effect such a wide area?_

"Do you know anything about that building?" Natsume asked before pointing to it.

Her fingers began to rest on her chin as she took a moment to think. "If I remember correctly, it's one of the main Buddhist temples. Though through the noise I heard coming earlier, they're probably having an important meeting today"

_Buddhist temple? Why would Matoba be allowed in?_

Noticing Natsume's silent pondering, Taki asked "What's the matter? Is this somehow related to a youkai problem?"

Natsume internally debated if he should tell Taki about the situation. He had never brought up the topic about exorcists to anyone but Natori, Tanuma only recently discovering about them accidentally. Natsume didn't know how she well she would take it. Still, she knew the area better than he did. . . but if he said the wrong thing and brought up bad memories. . .and if Matoba sees her with him and-

"Natsume-kun?" Natsume heard her call him out of his thoughts. He turned towards Taki, who seem to be looking down with her bangs covering her eyes.

"I know you can't tell me everything. . .and I know there is a lot that I can't handle yet but. . .", Taki quietly started before looking up with determination in her eyes, "If there is something I can do to help, please don't hold back because of me". Natsume's eyes widen in surprise but Taki continued, "While I haven't completely gotten over it, that incident happened a long time ago. Besides". Her expression soften, looking slightly embarrassed though smiling warmly "I owe you my life. If it weren't for you, I would not have not made it this far. That's why". She held onto one of his hands and looked him in the eye "Though I might hold you back, if there is any way I can help, please tell me"

Natsume smiled. _I am truly grateful to have such caring friends._

They sat down nearby the bushes, whose berries Nyanko-Sensei had starting munch on, as Natsume explained what happened. He left out the details of who exactly stolen in, just assured her that it wasn't a Buddhist monk.

"Sounds tough", Taki commented, "Though I'm sure there's a way in. They usually keep a few windows open for fresh air so we can start searching for that"

While not walking too close to the building, they searched for windows that would be easy to slip into. However, after circling the temple once or twice, they did not find any. Madara reasoned that Matoba probably predicted a youkai would come after him so he probably ordered someone to close them.

"Still", Nyanko-sensei added, "He probably did it in a rush so there might be some windows that aren't completely closed"

"Hey, I think I found an opening but", Taki exclaimed before pointing up, "It might be too small"

"No, I think we can pry it open" Nyanko-sensei examined.

Nyanko-sensei transformed and flew to the nearby window. After finding the opening and surveying the scene inside, the beast let a puff of air flow through his nostrils and blew through the crack. However, he forced it too strongly, causing the window to suddenly slide across open with a loud thud. The noise startled him, jumping slightly higher from the sound as a reflex.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Natsume called up.

"It's nothing! Everything's fine!" the cat reassured.

"Are you sure? Because if it is too difficult, we can try searching for better-"

"No, don't worry! Coast is clear" the beast hastily argued before rushing down to pick up Natsume.

"I'll be off" Natsume told her before he climbed onto the invisible creature and flew to the window. Like the beast did before, he peeked in before climbing onto the ledge and pulling himself up.

"Natsume-kun?", Taki called out before he could slip inside. After he turned his head, she continued, "Be careful"

Natsume smiled. "I will" he assured her before he disappeared out of her sight.

* * *

**A/N: I'm so happy I got to write about Taki-san X3 I originally wanted to include her in my first fanfic but I couldn't find a fitting spot for her so I'm glad I did with this one (though sadly, she will only appears in this chapter). I don't know why but I really like her character. You probably will hear me say this every time I write about almost every character in this series (this series makes it really hard for me to truly dislike anyone) but there is something original and refreshing about her, I really don't know how to explain it. Either way, she is in my top three favourite characters for this series (again, the way Midoriawari-sensei writes her characters makes it hard for me to have a definite favourite) and I hope to write someday fanfic based around her X3 I find it really sweet how both Tanuma and Taki really want to help Natsume with his problems. I wish they appear more in this series.**

**Enough with my pointless ramblings, thanks for reading :D  
**


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I SHOULD be studying for exams (and hopefully, I'm not distracting any readers from any) but this is sort of a celebration of the new release of the manga chapter.

New story/grammar element:

*sound effect*

So here my lovely readers, for you I've updated this. Just don't following my example of prioritizing.

I don't know Natsume Yuujin-chou or any of the characters in it.

* * *

The place was big, that's for sure. Just like the outside, the interior was very much decorated in a Japanese-oriental style. The walls were painted in beautiful hues of orange and brown; pillars of mahogany red were evenly arranged around the hallways. The peeking noon's sun shone through many intricately designed windows and lit various ornaments and paintings. It gave the place a blissful and serene feeling. A feeling unfitting for an exorcist to hide out at.

The wooden floor made soft creeks as Natsume and Nyanko-sensei, now back to his lucky-cat form, roamed in the seemingly endless hallways.

"Any luck on picking up a scent?" Natsume asked as he followed the trotting cat.

"Tsk. Figures", Nyanko-sensei sourly remarked, "As you saw with Tanuma's father, the place is brimming with people with spiritual energy. Though it's not as strong as the exorcist meeting you attended, it's enough to mask that man's and jewel's scent"

"Wouldn't the spiritual energy attract youkai rather than repel" Natsume asked.

"Yes and no. While it's true that spiritually inclined people are tasty, these people go through daily rituals of self-renewal and purification that anything like negative emotions of the heart, a youkai's delicacy, are washed away. Also, unlike you who was born with, they had obtained it through the means of practice. Like eating fresh squid vs processed squid. Both are yummy but you prefer the first option"

_Leave it to Sensei to tie it in back to food_, Natsume thought sarcastically.

"I suppose it's a good thing", Sensei concluded, "It means he'll let his guard down and not put up many traps and barriers. Not to say that there isn't any"

Natsume nodded_. I wonder how Tanuma's doing,_ Natsume thought. He's suppose to be visiting his father's workplace at a Buddhist temple today. Luckily, this place is a bit of a distance from the Yatsuhara. He didn't want Tanuma to be dragged into this mess. As Natsume pondered, he noticed that Nyanko-sensei stopped walking abruptly.

The cat sniffed in the air once, sniffed again but sniveled his nose. He then jolted towards a nearby vase.

"What's wrong, Sensei?" Natsume whispered as he followed him from behind and crouched down.

"I think I can sense the jewel nearby...at the very last room down the hall but", Nyanko–sensei explained as he sniffed before pointing at one direction, "There is also a shiki...*sniff* *sniff*...two other humans, possibly servants...*sniff*...*sniff* *sniff*...and that Matoba kid too"

"You'll take care of the youkai and that jewel, I'll distract him and his servants " Natsume instructed.

"Are you kidding me? I can do all that by myself!", Nyanko-sensei informed before transforming, "There is no way we are sending-"

"You'll make too much of a ruckus and attract unnecessary attention. And you know that once he sees you by yourself, he wouldn't hesitate to kill you", Natsume reminded him as he got up and blocked the beast's path, "Besides, he can't do anything to harm me"

"At least not right away, I won't."

Before either of them could react, Natsume felt something whip right past him. It struck Madara directly before a blue current was released around the creature. Wincing in pain, Madara reverted back into his other medium.

"Damn it" he cursed.

"Sensei!" Natsume yelled as he ran to his mentor's side.

"I expected that spring's guardian or one of his followers to come. Should have guessed it would be you two"

Natsume focused his attention back to the attacker.

Matoba casually leaned against the wall nearby the room he was inside moments ago. Natsume glared at him.

"What? You didn't think I couldn't sense either of your presences." Matoba then motioned towards what is assumed to be his servants inside.

"Natsume, you need to get out of here" Madara quietly warned the boy.

Frantic eyes looked back at his guardian. "Are you crazy?", Natsume quickly whispered as some of Matoba's servants began to file out of that room, "I can't leave you here with-"

"Don't worry, I've got an idea. Stall and avoid getting caught for as long as you can. I'm trying to stick to your plan, for Pete's sakes. Now hurry up and leave"

Rushing footsteps could be heard as their owners approached the two of them.

"Now!"

Giving one last look at his mentor, Natsume dodged an incoming blow from Matoba's servant and headed towards the staircase.

"After him", Natsume heard Matoba ordered before trailing footsteps were clearly heard from behind. Natsume ran faster. _I hope you know what you're doing, Sensei._

* * *

A/N: Mannnnnn. You don't know how much research I had to do with the temple overall (even though it's a trivial aspect of the story). I somewhat redesigned the layout. I had to make sure nothing I did would contradict standards on designing them. Sure, I enjoyed reading articles and playing "Guess what this Japanese link means" for visuals but it's probably best not to do this around exam time. If you find anything inaccurate about it, please PM me about it.

Also, Nyanko-sensei's explanation about spiritual power this is something I purely made up (and is not meant to be an accurate portrayal of Buddhist philosophy). It's just me attempting to expand on his earlier one in chapter 3 (which was an interesting concept that would have been neat to explore). Just treated as my two cents about it.

Anyways, thanks for dropping by and leave a review when you can.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: GOMENASAI! This took WAY longer to upload then it should have. Even though is summer, there were a lot things that came up that I didn't expect to take too long. Not to mention the urge to keep making changes to the chapter every time my eyes came upon it.

But you guys were patient and I really appreciate that. The next chapter will soon be up.

I do not own this lovely series called Natsume Yuujinchou. I only own the two OC youkai.

* * *

Several rushing footsteps continued to echo through the hallways as Natsume dashed through temple's first floor. He managed to create a large gap of distance between himself and his pursuers. Times of escaping from youkai proved to quite helpful in situations like this. However, this chase was more prolonged than most instances and Natsume himself was quickly running out of energy.

After turning the corner, Natsume spotted an open, unlit room up ahead. He peeked and slipped inside after noticing it was vacant. He quickly closed the door a few seconds before the others turned the corner. Sitting against the adjacent wall, he allowed himself to quietly catch his breathe. Though the room was dark, Natsume saw another door on the other side of the room. So regardless of what entrance Matoba's servants arrive from, Natsume could still escape through the other door.

From what Natsume assumed, almost everything was according to plan: him acting as a distraction to pull away attention from Sensei so that Sensei can escape and find the jewel. But Nyanko-sensei took a direct hit from Matoba's spells and he couldn't easily transform, especially without causing a big commotion. Which was the last thing either of them needed._ So what was Sensei planning?_

The sound of a door opening disturbed Natsume out of his thoughts. He got up, noticing one of Matoba's servants calling others for help. _Whatever Sensei's plan is, I'll have to take his word for it. _Natsume quickly turned around and headed towards the opposite, closed door. Hearing the familiar whirl again, he dodged the incoming shikigami. However, he realized too late that it wasn't directly aimed at him. It slipped through his feet and tripped him. After colliding into the wooden floor, not even seconds later did he feel something tightly wrap his wrists together. He quickly looked up and saw another shikigami sealing the door…his escape route.

"I'll assure you that things won't follow your plan as easily as you want to," Matoba informed as he entered into the room.

Natsume remained still as he felt forcibly picked up by the two human servants to stand.

* * *

"Saisei-sama!" a familiar voice called out.

Saisei lifted his hand off a youkai, finishing his healing on him. Saisei then turned his attention to the voice, seeing Chimeu running towards the spring's deity. Once by his side, the bodyguard knelt to give a bow but Saisei nodded to drop the formalities.

"What's the status of the others?" Saisei inquired.

"We were able to avoid causalities this time around. Though there are a few remaining that are critically injured, everyone else seems to be recovering well, thanks to your help," Chimeu informed his master.

"Thank goodness. I'm not sure how many close encounters like this we can handle."

"What about you?" Saisei asked as he got up and scanned his master's body. "How are you're wounds?"

"I feel much better, thank you. You need need no longer be concerned of it," Saisei answered.

Upon hearing this, Chimeu let out a peaceful sigh."That's a relief," Chimeu replied, with a hidden soft smile, before turning his head towards the west. Saisei traced his follower's gaze.

"You're worried about the boy," Saisei inferred.

"W-what? Of course not!" Chimeu replied, now startled out of his thoughts. He then defended, "Why would I care about a hum-"

"If you're worrying about Natsume-sama, he'll be a-ok!" said the middle-class ogre that popped out from behind. Startled, Chimeu jumped from his and his ox friend's sudden appearance. The ogre tensed his muscles to appear tough as he continued, "Our Natsume-sama is strong enough to take down any foe, whether it be an exorcist or a scary ayakashi. You know the wild, white beast that you've seen with Natsume? He is so strong, he can use one punch to easily take down that menacing, alcoholic canine"

"Menacing, alcoholic canine!" the ox youkai repeated cheerfully.

Watching the merriment of the youkai, Saisei gave a happy chuckle. "See, Chimeu? I'm sure there is nothing to be worried about."

_You still don't realize it yourself_, Chimeu thought, giving a quick glance to his master before looking back towards the west, _why you chosen that child of all humans to help._

* * *

"It was rather bold, if not stupid, to track me down here. Did some friends help you get here?"

Natsume remained silent as he walked between Matoba's two servants, his head hung down as his captor led them through the seemingly endless hallways. He may have been caught but he wasn't planning to stay long nor entertain Matoba with that thought.

"Not talkative today, are you," the exorcist pointed out, sensing the boy's defiance. There was another silent moment as they continued to walk.

"I wonder how your foster parents would react if I brought you back home like this," Matoba mused out-loud. Natsume's eyes twitched but Matoba continued. "Of course, I could tell them whatever reason I please to explain your sneaking around here or perhaps," Matoba gave a slight pause before resuming, "…you want to tell them something else? Maybe something that you've been hiding a little too long?"

Natsume eyes widened in horror at thought. His chest began to tighten as his mind flooded with racing imagery…_Touko's frightened expression_…_Shigure's state of speechlessness…_Worst of all, their constant worry and anxiety for his well-being here on after, likely leading them to an early death.

…_all because of me.._.

"P-Please," Natsume finally spoke though unintentionally with a hint of desperation, "Please don't do that. I'll do anything! I'll—"

"Is that so?" Matoba immediately retorted, a hidden smirk forming.

Natsume's eyes widen further. He knew where Matoba would go…his _alternative offer_.

Knowing that Natsume understood, the man darkly added,"You have to learn that there are consequences for your actions, especially for those around you"

Natsume's head fell, continuing to remain silent. Matoba took the boy's new quietness as his acceptance of his defeat.

_I have to get out of here quickly_, Natsume decided. Up ahead, he heard voices approaching and becoming louder. Great, if Matoba could become distracted just long enough, he could sneak out of here. As one of the voices' owner turned the corner, Natsume felt a strange sense of familiarity to the person. When the second person turned the corner, he understood why.

_Tanuma…_

He wasn't going to drag him into this.

Natsume looked down again as he walked, hoping that if they don't make any eye contact, his friend would not notice he was here. However, he heard the other footsteps come to a halt and felt a heavy stare upon him. Subconsciously, the stare pressured Natsume to look back up. Surprised eyes met with frightened. Natsume feared for the worst.

* * *

A/N: Fear is an interesting emotion to write because how one reacts to it various from person to person. Hopefully in this case, it was written in character. I think I brought this up in _Pace_ but Natsume's fear of the Fujiwaras knowing goes back to when Tanuma mentions about Natsume not wanting them to worry. It is true worrying can cause a lot of stress on the body (especially if happening daily and it never resolving) though chances are Natsume's fear exaggerating just how much. Of course, Matoba is playing with these fears.

Next chapter should be up soon. It will be when _Pace_ intertwines with the story except it will be written under Natsume's perspective

Unrelated to this fanfic at all but for anyone interested in the Hetalia fandom, I'm writing a collab fanfic with TanakaTarou called _Breaking the_ _Ice_ which I'm shamelessly advertising here. It is a fantasy AU focusing on the FACE family (though they're sorta split apart) but will also be featuring many other characters. The fanfic is under the pen name **Tomatoes and Turtles.**


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This chapter is a lot shorter than my others ones and that it is the same events of the other story (I would call it chapter 6.5 but unfortunately fanfiction won't let me). This is Natsume's/outside perspective of one the events that happened my other fanfic _Pace_. You don't need to read one to understand the other (but I hope reading both enhances the experience nonetheless).

Enjoy

Disclaimer: I do not own Natsume Yuujinchou

* * *

Tanuma stared back at Natsume with a shocked expression. From the gaze, Natsume suddenly felt more aware of his body: feeling his heart beat loudly, and his throat becoming dry. _What should I say?_

At the corner of his eye, Natsume saw Matoba motion a signal to his servants and with a nod, they tightened the space around Natsume as they walked.

"Good afternoon, Master Matoba" Natsume heard Tanuma's dad greet, who seemed unaware of Natsume's presence. Matoba returned the salutations before his gaze turned towards Tanuma and asked "Who might you be?"

As Tanuma's dad introduced his son, Natsume's ears picked up on a certain set of words: "…leader of a very powerful clan who is facilitating this meeting that I was talking about"

_Meeting?_ Was that what Taki was talking about earlier? Natsume watched Tanuma bow though he saw his eyes were trailing on something. _What was he looking at?_ Natsume followed his friend's gaze which ended on his own wrists. _Could Tanuma see the paper?_

"Who's the boy?" his dad seemed to notice Natsume, though not clearly as he swayed slightly side to side to get at a better view.

"Ah, yes. A neighboring boy was looking for his father who was attending this meeting but he became lost" Matoba explained.

Natsume looked off to the side, taking much of his self-control to not react to Matoba's lie. Not that Natsume silently didn't appreciate Matoba unintentionally distancing Tanuma into this mess. It was the fact that the man used his father-_his dead parents_- to help get away with his plans. Natsume clenched his fist to control his anger.

Then it occurred to Natsume: Tanuma knew that his parents were dead. _Was Matoba testing him?_ With the back of his eye, Natsume caught a faint reaction from Tanuma, eyes slightly widened. _Please don't have Matoba catch tha_-

"The two of you are around the same age" Matoba noticed, cleverly masking his detection yet confirming Natsume's dreaded suspicions.

"Now that you mention it, isn't that your school's uniform?" Tanuma's dad pointed out.

Natsume's eyes widen in panic though Matoba's grin seemed to gain a more a mischief glint.

"Oh? So perhaps you know each other?" Matoba pressed out the words Natsume hoped he wouldn't.

With his wrists locked together, the tight space around him and his friend within radius, Natsume never found himself more trapped. More than ever did Natsume wanted to pull away and run away from here quickly as possible. He could manage to escape from Matoba's group, now that they were distracted with other people. But Natsume couldn't. Not without rousing suspicion from Matoba and possibly creating a new target out of Tanuma or his father.

"No, just someone I have seen at school" Natsume heard Tanuma explain. Natsume looked back at Tanuma, who gave off a neutral look.

"That's unfortunate" Matoba said with an unsatisfied sigh before checking up on Natsume. The possibility of the boys having a silent exchange didn't occur to the exorcist until now. Not wanting to foil Tanuma's diversion, Natsume nonchalantly looked ahead. Matoba narrowed his eye in suspicion but Natsume showed no reaction.

The exorcist then refocused his attention on Tanuma and his father, smiling before casually suggesting, "I'm sure you two would probably be good friends"

"Probably" Tanuma replied indifferently.

"Sir, its time" one of the other servants reminded.

"Ah yes", Matoba confirmed before politely ending the discussion, "It was nice meeting the both of you"

"It was an honor" Tanuma's father replied as both he and his son gave a bow. Feeling a slight nudge on the back, Natsume followed Matoba as they past by Tanuma and his father, both friends not daring to gaze at the other until they was out of sight.

* * *

A/N: While there is a bit to go (with parts beyond the events of _Pace_), this fanfic will definitely be finished before the end of this summer (because I have one or two fanfics in the workings).


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Oh hi. I updated! Here comes a new text format thing.

word*- a cultural specific or foreign word which might need elaborating. Explanations are at the bottom's authour's note.

Disclaimer: I do not own Natsume Yuujinchou.

* * *

The sunlight entering from the nearby windows created a sparkling shimmer around the gem, the jewel glittering as it was hung tightly around the proud youkai's neck. Despite his size, his stubby paws made light thuds on the wooden floor, reminding him of Natsume's constant warnings about his recent weight gain.

The cat snorted proudly. That stupid exorcist should have known better than to underestimate the Great Madara.

The cocky smirk on the trotting youkai then began to falter as he remembered upon some additional details about his escape. _Though I can't take complete credit, _he silently added. He began to lick the rest of the scarlet red juice off his nose. That girl wasn't kidding when she said those berries were good though not in the same way Taki thought. Those berries, though a bit sour, were a youkain* variety that carried special healing properties. Ones that helped Madara have a speedy recovery from that injury, at least enough energy to escape from Matoba's servants. If the taste was this pungent with the little remaining spring water, just imagine how much of an energy boost it would give if those berries were still regularly sprinkled by the same water. Nyanko-sensei's eye began to narrow in thought. _Just how deep did Matoba plan this?_

The youkai shook his head to break from his growing suspicious. In any case, escaping after eating those berries was a piece of youkan*. Didn't break a sweat. Or anything else for that matter. _And that boy was worried I would make too much of a ruckus. Wait till Natsume hears-_

The cat immediately stopped walking.

_Natsume…And I left him alone with that Matoba kid._

The cat dashed again, quickening his pace.

The jewel from the necklace continued to swish more rapidity around his neck, it's peculiar scent following in a broken pendulum motion.

_There it is again._ There was something strange about that gem…_something yummy…something familiar…something-_

And the next thing he knew, the cat was sent flying forward.

* * *

As they turned around the corner, Natsume mentally sighed in relief. Thank goodness Tanuma didn't lengthen the conversation anymore than needed, but he knew his friend did so very reluctantly. Now, he just hoped Matoba didn't suspect anything or look his friend up.

"Master Matoba!" an urgent voice called out. The group stopped as one of Matoba's servants came rushing towards the exorcist. Matoba leaned to the side to hear the servant's news.

There was an exchange of whispers but Natsume was able to catch a few words: "…the cat..." and "escaped". He also caught Matoba's expression twist into one of annoyance, confirming Natsume's suspicions. He resisted the temptation to relax but it was too late: Matoba caught Natsume listening, his eyes quickly flickered to the boy's gaze. The exorcist continued in a more hush tone with his servant, words spoken in a quietness that Natsume couldn't properly hear. When Matoba retracted, however, he saw a satisfied grin as his eyes glanced back towards the boy before looking forward. Matoba thanked his servant before allowing him to continue his regular duties.

"As you probably heard from your eavesdropping, your little bodyguard has escaped" Matoba spoke as the group once again began to walk forward.

Natsume didn't reply but he was secretly proud of Sensei for his escape.

"However, that isn't the important news I received. Did you know the gem you're searching for is made out of human blood" Matoba informed, successfully breaking the boy out of his thoughts. Begining to climb the staircase, the exorcist continued, "Along with that spring's guardian's, our analysis showed a portion of it is human blood. This part should be of interest to you: it was that relative of yours. What was her name again? Ah, yes. Natsume Reiko's"

Natsume froze in front of the first step. His grandma's blood was in it_? Was that what Sensei sensed earlier?_ Natsume almost tripped as he felt himself prodded on the back to walk up the stairs.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Matoba chuckled darkly before turning to the next flight of stairs, revealing his sly grin as his eye now watched the boy like a vulture, "As expected of them to leave that detail out. Those deceitful, lying beasts. And they had the audacity to ask you for help?"

In the back of his mind, Natsume knew that the exorcist could be lying, trying to turn him against them. Yet it would not explain why the statue resembled that of a girl's head. "H-How did her blood become part of it?" Natsume found himself asking though he dared not look up.

"Now, do you really wish to know?", Matoba asked as Natsume turned for the next flight of stairs, Matoba's back now only remained visible.

"I-I'm sure she gave it willingly!" Natsume reasoned back. He hated how unsteady his voice sounded.

"Are you still going to believe them?" Matoba questioned in amusement as he finished climbing the stairs, "You're naiveness is going to cost you one day. Maybe today"

Natsume remained silent as he finished the last set of stairs, not wanting to continue the conversation.

"Well, we will have plenty of time talk about the full story later" Matoba informed the boy.

Before he could react, Natsume felt a rough shove on his back that pushed him into the open room.

"Unfortunately, we don't have the time to deal with you right now nor can we simply have you roaming around and interfering with our plans. Don't feel too lonely though. That cat of yours will being joining you soon…", Matoba told him before a mischievous smirk formed from his voiced thoughts, "…if my traps haven't killed him already". As Natsume's eyes widen, Matoba's smirk grew wider. "We'll discuss about your punishment later"

"Wait-" Natsume yelled but the door was shut before he could reach it. Natsume slammed himself a couple of times but it wouldn't budge. _Probably from another seal, _he thought in frustration_._ He sighed to himself and looked at the room before him.

Little did Natsume know that his energy was slowly draining.

* * *

A/N:

youkain- Loosely, a "youkai's kind/type". No it is not a real word and yes I made it up (because I don't know the correct related words for "youkai" in English and simply using the word "youkai" instead sounded weird, not that my word was any better)

youkan- alternatively spelled as _yokan_, it is a ajar-based jelly sweet that Nyanko-sensei likes to eat time to time (think of that purple jelly cake that Taki gave Nyanko-sensei in _The Thing That Lurks in The Storeroom. _I swear that's the desert in the Old Chateau in Pokemon but localization just won't admit it).

Yes, of course Nyanko-sensei had some berries on him. He is a smart cat (or maybe just a messy one).

Like how some authors have mentioned, Matoba is a fun character to write (maybe too much. Hehe, sorry Natsume) though he is quite a tricky one for me to pin-down. He is an interesting mix of a villain and a well-intentioned extremist (though I have feeling that I'm leaning on the former) and I have to be careful to not overdo one over the other. Please do drop by a review when you have the time to tell me how I'm doing on the story and characters overall. Thank you to all those who have read, reviewed, favourited and followed so far *gives a respectful bow*


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